Magical Shoujo
by Squire of Gothos
Summary: Rei finds freedom in a hidden identity
1. A Journey Apart

_I am alone. Not of this world. I have known this since my first memory, the first awareness I had of my existence. Not alone in the sense that there are others of my kind elsewhere, simply out of reach. I am a created thing, a merging of two kinds. I have no 'others', no vast history, no genetic stability other than the hundreds of failures before me. I feel this daily, moment by moment._

_Pain is as familiar to me as breathing. An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, caused by energy transmitted via nerve endings. I have endured it every moment of my life. It may be lesser or greater, but it is always there._

_Over time I have learned to live with it, to not react to it. This had helped me in my job, my purpose in life, because I am faced with it constantly. Even so, the one moment I wait for is the time when my life, and the pain, will end. I will no longer be lonely, no longer be a person apart, a person with no heritage. I will return to the nothingness I came from._

* * *

A class room in a school. A place for humans to learn what they needed to know to live responsible lives. Such a place was of no interest to Rei, and even if it had been, she had already absorbed the information from all the textbooks assigned to her.

To her left, outside the window, a bird winged its way through the sky. It was free, unfettered, not in pain. It had a lineage, it was part of a species. In certain small ways, she was like that bird. She was free from some human constraints. She had excellent recall, and thus she did not have to study as others did. Finding similarities between herself and what surrounded her was a pleasant exercise, one of the many distractions she used to pass the days. She had many of them, all of them useless to varying degrees.

As long as she made sure she was able to do what the Commander needed, nothing else mattered. This too was freeing in a way. She was free to do whatever she wished with her free time. The Commander did not care as long as she was able to do her duty.

The closing bell sounded, causing a flurry of activity as the students prepared to leave.

"Ayanami."

She looked to her right and up to find Hikari standing by her desk. On the girl's face was a look she could not decipher. Compassion? Sorrow, perhaps?

"You're on duty, today," Hikari continued, when Rei did not respond at first.

"Alright," Rei answered. She stood immediately to gather the erasers and clean them. Class duties consisted of various cleaning tasks that most students shunned. This puzzled her, because such duties were spelled out and easy to accomplish, they simply took time. There were many things in life that were not spelled out, things that were hard to understand.

Why did they hate something so easy?

She did not understand, but then there were many things concerning interpersonal relationships she did not understand. She had come to accept this, and lived with the fact that she would always be alone. By now most of the students had gone, leaving her to work in peace. She slowly wiped down each desk with a damp cloth. It was a simple task that she could lose herself in. Halfway down the second row, a scraping noise drew her attention to her right foot. beside it was a small book. She bent down to pick it up, examining the cover.

_Peach Sailor Kaminari._

The front cover showed a young female girl in a brightly colored pink and yellow blouse and miniskirt combination. In her hand she held a stylized lightning bolt and she had an ecstatic expression on her face. Curious, she opened it to the first page.

_Hi! I'm Peach Sailor Kaminari, and even though I'm not from this planet, I protect everyone here because I have special powers! I know it's lonely sometimes, but I try to enjoy myself, in fact..._

Her mouth twitched into a semblance of a smile as she read. She saw herself in this female, who was apparently the primary character of the book. She had never seen such a book in the research library she usually frequented. It was obviously a work of fiction, a genre she rarely read. It spoke of a girl who had been exiled from her home planet, which was then destroyed when its sun went nova. She was the last of her kind. On earth she had powers that a normal human did not have, powers she used to help others who were in trouble.

After reading the introduction, she turned the page. Her damp towel dropped to the floor, forgotten. A few minutes later she sank to a sitting position, her duties forgotten.

A half-hour later, she glanced up at sudden foot-steps.

"Ayanami?"

She stood, closing the book and looking towards where Hikari stood.

"Class Representative," she said calmly. Normally she would have not spoken further, but she felt compelled to explain her actions. "I'll finish my duties. I'm sorry I became distracted."

"No, No!" Hikari raised her hands, eyes wide. "I'm not getting onto you. As long as you finish, it's okay!" She glanced around, surprised. To her this was a complete departure from the quiet girl's normally studious and efficient work. Rei never deviated from any assigned duties, always completing them with machine-like precision. Her eyes flitted down, coming to rest on the book in the girl's hand. "What book is that?"she asked, drifting closer.

"It's a picture book," Rei answered.

"A what?" Hikari reached over and turned the book so she could see the cover. "Oh wow!" she exclaimed. "I've never seen you read manga before. What's it about?"

"A girl from another planet," Rei answered, absorbing Hikari's intensity with a calm unblinking gaze.

"Oh. Huh." Hikari smiled hesitantly as the silence became uncomfortable. "Well, I guess I'll see you later, then."

"Yes."

The other girl stood, turning to go. She stopped and glanced back.

"Hey, if you ever want to talk..." She hesitated, and Rei blinked. "Anyway. Bye!" She turned and jogged from the classroom. Rei set the book down, returning to her assigned duties. Her hands moved with an unaccustomed impatience. She had not finished reading the book, and she wished to do so.

* * *

Going home that day, her steps had been lighter than usual. She had come upon an item to add to her pitifully small collection of Things To Be Treasured. Over the next few days, she worked feverishly. Never before had she been offered a purpose of her own. The closest thing she had was Eva, and that was given to her by others.

Learning to sew was a complex process, especially since she wanted to do it with her own hands, and not a machine. One week from when she had started, she was finished. No one had any reason to suspect anything unusual had been going on. The Commander left her alone as long as she reported regularly for the usual mind downloads, her Sensei never bothered her since she always got the maximum possible grade on each test, and her school-mates had long since stopped approaching her. Before, this had been cause for further pain and loneliness, but now it was, if still painful, at least useful.

Her heart beat was painful against her chest as she stepped out of her apartment door and into the night. It was a complete change from her normal schedule, and an outrageous one at that. Closing the door behind her, she stood in the dingy breezeway, shivering despite the warmth of the night. She closed her eyes, reveling in the strange and powerful emotions.

_This is freedom._

It felt like she was about to come apart at the seams. A soft breeze ruffled the skirt she wore to her knees, making her look down. It was different from the type of clothes she normally wore, which made her self-conscious. She walked to the top of the breezeway stairs, coming to a stop.

_What would anyone think, if they saw me?_

To anyone she knew, she would be completely unrecognizable. Whether it was her bright pink skirt, the soft white top, or even her hair, which she had also dyed pink. She had not known there was such a thing as a hair-dye that could be 'programmed' to disintegrate after set passage of time. She had put on enough to last for ten hours, meaning until sunrise. She even had a light blue cloth mask covering the top half of her face, though she had doubts concerning its usefulness.

It did not matter. With this, she would no longer have to hide who she was. She stretched her arms wide, feeling the familiar glow surround her. She had been forced to hide it for so long, it nearly hurt, it felt so good. Silently she floated into the air.

For an hour she simply drifted, as a leaf might, not even paying attention to the fantastic scenery below. Her vision swam, the myriad lights below dancing and twinkling as she moved through the sky. A sudden cool wetness on her cheeks surprised her. Reaching up, she found her mask was damp.

_I am finally free to be myself,_ she thought, looking down at the wetness on her blue gloves. _Why am I crying?_

She slowly drifted towards the ground, lost in her thoughts.

"K... Kyaaa!"

The unexpected scream made her turn, and her cheeks felt suddenly hot. She unconsciously brought a gloved hand up to hide her face. Below her was a girl, perhaps a year or two younger.

"Ma-Magical Shoujo!" the girl yelled, pointing up at Rei.


	2. Peach Girl Seigyoku

A/N: The sheer amount of response to something so haphazard is interesting. The simple story ideas are the best, maybe? Also, might as well go on and say it's a Shinji/Rei. I figured that would be obvious, considering it's me who's writing, but might as well be clear ^_^

* * *

The cloak of night no longer felt as protective, when Rei heard the short outcry below her. A half dozen different thoughts fought for her attention as she drifted towards the ground, her mind whirling. Her secret identity would protect her, supposedly. This girl had no reason to be able to identify her in any way. No one did, in fact, not even someone from her class, though they might have had a better chance than this unknown girl. Even so, her uniform was a fall-back, something that was supposed to cover her if she was spotted during her work. It wasn't something to be lightly shown off to whoever was nearby.

_But then, what is my work? What is it I thought I would to do help people, if I completely avoid them?_

She had not yet thought that far ahead. She had already subconsciously decided allow events to play out concerning the girl who had seen her, but that did not prepare her for what happened when her feet touched the pavement.

"You're actually real!" the girl exclaimed, throwing her arms around Rei, her voice near-hysterical. "I can't believe it," she mumbled into Rei's shoulder. "I'm not dreaming, right?" she asked, pulling back, wide-eyed.

"No, you're not," Rei answered. It occurred to her to ask what such a young girl might be doing at the edge of a park in Tokyo-3 at night. Looking around, it was obvious that this wasn't one of the safest ares of the city. As it turned out, the girl answered that one on her own.

"I don't know how you found me, but come on!" she said, pulling at Rei's hand, urging her into motion.

"Where are we going?"

"I have to show you something, just come on!"

Relenting, Rei followed, curious as to what she might be shown. It seemed her earlier question had already been answered, for the time being. This girl needed her help, so she would do her best to give it.

They walked for three blocks, long enough for Rei to observe that she was unsure of her surroundings. She kept stopping for a moment, looking around, then continuing a few yards further, glancing at street signs.

"Are you lost?" she asked. This question brought instant and momentary anger.

"No!" The girl stopped walking, looking down. "Well, yeah." She looked up at Rei, eyes flashing. "I mean, I don't know where my house is. From here, anyway. I... I guess-"

"Then how did you get here?" Rei asked patiently.

"That's what I just told you, I don't know!" the girl snapped.

Rei sighed. Human speech was fraught with possibilities for vagueness and misunderstanding. It was why she so often shied away from using it. Misunderstanding caused anger, broken bonds and pain. Beyond that, it was often difficult for either party to discover where the misunderstanding had originated, especially when both of them had their emotional armor fully raised.

"Look," the girl finally said, "don't be mad like that. I just meant that I left the house, and later got lost-"

"I'm not mad," Rei said, hoping to relieve the misunderstanding.

"Then why'd you sigh like that? You certainly look mad..."

"This is how I normally look," Rei said. A touch of the suggested anger was beginning to simmer.

"Oh, well... Kyaaaa?"

Within a few seconds, the two of them had ascended a hundred feet. The girl suddenly clutched at Rei, hugging her tightly.

"Why are you grabbing onto me like that?" Rei asked, again, patiently.

"Wh-wh-what..." The girl stammered, looking around in wonder. She lost her voice when she noticed her arm was glowing. In fact, every part of her that she could see was glowing, as was the person she was holding.

"Can you see your home from here?" Rei asked. The girl pointed to a building several blocks from where they had been standing.

"That is your home?" Rei asked, just to be sure. The girl shook her head, a short jerking motion. "It's not your home? Then why-"

"It-It-It's what I was trying to show you," the girl said through clamped lips. She looked down at the ground below, her face white. "I-Is this safe?"

"Quite safe," Rei replied as they floated towards the building.

"They might see us," the girl hissed. Rei glanced at her quizzically. "The bad men I was following. My dad didn't believe me, but... maybe if I found out where they were going, he would believe me." Her tongue had apparently loosened enough to give useful information.

"And you found out?" Rei asked, when she fell silent. The girl nodded.

"But I guess I didn't pay attention to how I got there. I didn't know the way home." She glanced around anxiously, then behind her. She pointed. "There. That's my home." Her finger pointed towards a low apartment rise in the distance.

"You walked the whole way on foot?" Rei asked.

"I had to find out where those guys were going!" the girl exclaimed defensively. By now they were over the building. Rei had noted the two sides visible from the direction they had flown in from, and now she flew over the building, getting a look at the other side. Then she set down on the roof. There had been no one walking around the building, and all the windows had been dark, so they had probably not been seen.

* * *

The cool darkness of Central Dogma during night-shift was pure torture, if the person on duty hadn't been getting good sleep even during normal hours. The dull green glow of the monitor before her had long since lulled her into a half-awake half-asleep realm where it was hard to tell what was real and what wasn't.

The walls whispered secrets in the darkness, soothing cool air from the life-support units that kept the air breathable. Her screen flickered, malformed alert signals, part of what she remembered during her simulation training.

"_Pattern Blue! Damage to the outer armor, blocks C and D have collapsed..." _Distant yells, feet thumping against hard metal. Even if it had been one of the endless drills and simulations, it had been scary. She still remembered huddling underneath a desk as smoke and fire flared around the small room. It had taken her days to recover from that particular simulation. It had been blind luck that she had been near ground-zero of the simulated explosion.

"_Maya, it's okay! Come on out, it's all over...!" _Hands had reached for her, reassuring and soft, pulling her from the room that was quickly clearing of the smoke that had been so thick moments before. Hands smoothing her hair away from her frightened face, making sure she hadn't broken anything.

She jerked awake to a hand on her back, and froze. Remembered alarms still shrilled, and she looked around jerkily, her breathing shallow.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you." The calm smiling face of Ayako swam into view, and the walls stopped whispering. She began to calm down.

"Guess I haven't been sleeping well, lately," Maya said apologetically.

"Well, I'm here to relieve you, so you can go home and rest all you want!" Her smile relieved the sting of the rebuke.

"Thanks, Ayako," Maya said, stretching as she stood. "The chair's all yours, for whatever its worth..." Her words trailed off as the screen flashed, momentarily showing a code that had only been seen in simulations so far.

"-the hell?" Ayako sat down, her fingers tapping over the keys before her.

"I thought I was dreaming that," Maya whispered, leaning over her colleague's shoulder. "Is it a Pattern Blue?"

More tapping.

"I don't know how it can be," Ayako finally said, leaning back. The screen was clear again. "I can't get any kind of lock. It was never like this in the simulations." She looked up at Maya, fear touching her eyes. All thoughts of sleep and its pleasures were gone now. "Why would it appear so faintly, and then disappear again? I couldn't even tell if it was inside the city or outside!"

Maya nodded, a cold ball of tension forming in her stomach. The enemy they had been trained to fight was somewhere out there, but with all their technology and preparation, they didn't even know where to start looking.

* * *

It was the dark of night, she was standing in front of the towering building that housed men who wanted to harm her father, and her mind whirled. The impossible girl in front of her put a hand out and caressed the door for a moment.

"It's locked," she said, but the other girl didn't appear to be listening. "There's probably an alarm or something-" The girl had put a hand on the door and pushed. The door swung in silently. Mei bent down and looked at the door handle mechanism as the other girl padded quietly inside, then stopped and looked back at her quizzically.

"It's all melted," Mei said, dumbfounded. "What-What did you do?"

The girl looked at her steadily for a moment, then replied.

"Stay close to me, and you will be safe."

Mei quickly walked over and shadowed Rei as they walked further into the dark building.

There were distant voices, men talking. The two walked to the end of the hallway and pushed open the doors. The talking immediately ceased. The doors closed behind them. This room was large and high-ceilinged, a warehouse of some kind. Boxes and crates were stacked all along the walls, and in the center a folding table had been set up. On it sat a laptop, and a half-dozen men stood around it, talking. They had all fallen silent and looked over at the unexpected intrusion. Expressions of surprise, disbelief, and irritation crossed their faces in turn.

"Bad omen," one of them said quietly, looking towards another, probably the leader. "Now we've got to kill them." A subtle whine had entered his tone. "You know I hate doing kids. Especially girls-"

"Shut up." The words were sibilant, like a snake striking. The other man fell silent. "Who says we have to kill them? We'll just keep them locked up 'till it's all over."

"But how long will that take-"

"Hitashi, if you say one more word... Just one!" The other man wilted. He was obviously uncomfortable that the other man had spoken his name, but he was smart enough not to complain further. The supposed leader turned his attention from his underlings to the two intruders. "Girls," he said, his tone uncommonly light, "I'm afraid you took a wrong turn if you were looking for the cosplay party," he said, his eyes flitting up and down Rei's costume.

"Hey..." One of the underlings was pointing at Mei, obviously wracking his brain. "Hey boss, I know her!" He looked excitedly his leader. "She's the daughter of the guy Hitashi couldn't bribe! I thought a kid was following us the other day, but I couldn't be sure. It was her!"

"You leave my dad alone...!" Mei said, stepping out from behind Rei. The other girl betrayed no fear or weakness, bolstering her own fading confidence.

"Kid," the leader said, a condescending smile on his flawless face, "your old man turned down a very lucrative offer. He could have been set for life! In fact-"

"I see what's going on here," Rei said, stepping closer. "You're just a common Yakuza." Her mouth twitched into a smile as she said it. The other man paled and almost stood.

"You have no idea who I am, you freak!" he sat back down, straightening his business suit with a smirk. "And you certainly don't know what's going on here. Let me explain," he said, in a tone of voice as if teaching a young child. "This city is the heart of an organization called NERV. Do you know about them?" Rei's eyes had widened. "I see that you do. That's surprising, actually," he said matter-of-factly. "Such a powerful organization, with branches all over the world. Just imagine what one could do, if one had control of certain key players in such an organization."

Silence hung between them for a few moments.

"Just a Yakuza," Rei said, trying to twist her mouth into a copy of the sneer she had seen the man make earlier. The other man's face mottled with anger, which he managed to control. After a few moments, he spoke.

"Little girl," he said, "I was going to let you live, but I can't stand that smart mouth of yours!"

"Was this part of your plan?" Mei asked in an undertone.

"My plan is to take them all to the police," Rei answered, not in an undertone. The man gave an ugly laugh.

"This... This is really rich," he said, taking out a square of cloth an wiping his eyes as he chuckled. "Hitashi," he rasped out, trying to catch his breath, "she's going to take us in...!" The other man laughed, and soon all six men were laughing.

"You can't just take them in," Mei whispered to Rei, blushing in embarrassment. "The police would have already arrested them if they could have...!"

"Little girl," the leader gasped, trying to recover his composure, "Just to give you something to think about in your last moments, I'll tell you a secret." He set down the handkerchief and leaned forward, looking to his left and his right. He then raised a hand to the side of his mouth and whispered. "Everything you would need to put us all away for the rest of our lives is on this laptop." He winked, tapping a manicured nail on the closed lid of the small computer. "Right here," he repeated in a taunting voice.

Rei stepped forward, and Mei stayed at her side, her young features betraying her fright. The mob boss smiled, leaning back and clasping his hands behind his head as Rei approached. He made a couple of small head and eye movements, and two of the other men walked around, blocking the doors they had used to enter the room.

"Everything we need," Rei said, reaching out her blue-gloved hands and picking up the laptop, "is in here?"

The man nodded, his smile widening.

"All of our important information is in there. Don't even bother trying to break it, by the way," the man said. "I know that's probably what you're thinking. We have other copies. You won't have done us any harm, and then we'd just have to kill you more slowly."

"Why would I break my evidence?" Rei asked, genuinely puzzled. The man's smile disappeared.

"Alright," he said, pulling an automatic from some hidden holster and pointing it at her. "Play time is over. I've had enough of your smart mouth. But hey," he said nonchalantly, pulling back the hammer on the small gun, "if you beg, I might make this quick and clean." Rei lifted a hand, palm towards the man. "That's right," the man said with an ugly smile, "I want to hear your costumed ass beg." He raised the gun, aiming at her head. "Nothing? Okay then..."

He tightened his finger. There was a loud crack, and then another one immediately after. Mei assumed he had fired twice, but when she opened her eyes, a thick white vibrating hexagon of light shimmered a foot away from Rei's palm, then vanished. Rei had not flinched, but the other man's face was suddenly white. He squeezed the trigger again. Another flash of white. He emptied the gun into the harsh vibrating field of energy, even while his underlings were scattering, trying to avoid the ricocheting bullets. Finally he was left standing there, pulling uselessly at the trigger of his now empty gun.

"Boss, let's just get out of here!" One of the men said from where he was cowering on the floor, "she ain't human!"

"Shut up, fool!" the man hissed. "We're not leaving without that laptop!"

Mei stood frozen with disbelief as Rei calmly handed her the laptop without averting her eyes from her enemy. "Hold this," was all she said. Mei fumbled, managing not to drop it.

The man was right on top of Rei when she turned to face him. He reached out, eyes full of fury, intending to throw her bodily out of the way and retrieve the precious device. She caught his arm, and stayed impossibly still, even when he struggled with all his weight and strength.

"Let go-!" he snapped, grabbing at her with his other arm. She caught it as well, and brought the two arms together. When she took her hands away, a harsh white hexagon intersected the man's two hands, holding them together even when he struggled. "Let me go, you little bi-"

* * *

The cavernous space of Central Dogma was awash in alarms. Ayako looked to her screen, fear etched into her face. It was a solid Patter Blue this time, without any of the previous ambiguity.

"Dear God," she whispered. The city wasn't ready. None of its defenses were operational. The prototype Eva sat still in its cage, dormant. It had yet to undergo even a test-activation. The doors behind her hissed open, and a middle-aged woman with ash-blond hair stepped out onto the command deck, her lab coat swirling.

"What's going on here?" she demanded tartly. Her eyes went immediately to Ayako's screen. "Oh no," she whispered.

The main projector came to life, showing a map of Tokyo-3. Deep inside the city, in E-Block, the Pattern Blue code pulsed.

* * *

Two girls walked down the sidewalk of Tokyo-3 west's main boulevard. One was fairly normal looking, but the other was atrociously dressed. A hot pink frilly skirt, soft white top, blue gloves that reached to her elbows and a blue cloth mask that covered her eyes and upper face. And her hair was pink.

"Kyaaa! That was so cool...!" Mei threaded her arm through Rei's, skipping as she walked. Rei blushed underneath her mask at the physical contact, which she rarely got. "Especially when you just put up a hand and blocked that guy's bullets! Hey, they can't get free and hurt us, can they?" She glanced back, her eyes still wide. 'That guy' glared back sullenly. He and his half-dozen henchmen were bound with glowing manacles, and glistening threads of light stretched from their restraints to Rei's hand. For three blocks they had been dragged unwillingly, until they assured themselves of the futility of struggle. Now they walked, or slinked, rather, behind their new mistress.

"If they tried, I would punish them," Rei commented. She glanced back, as if feeling the man's hostile glare. "Severely," she reiterated. He wilted under her cold gaze.

"Haha! You're so cool, I wish I was like you..."

The conversation seemed to peter out. The silence, which before had always been her ally, was beginning to make Rei uncomfortable. She had someone under her care, at least for another half hour, and she didn't want to be an improper role model.

"Um..." Rei thought hard. In her manga, the heroine always had some uplifting moral statement ready for the right moment. "Don't do drugs," she finally said.

"What?" Mei looked at her askance. "Are you okay? That's kind of a weird thing to say..."

"Never mind," Rei said, thankful that her mask his her embarrassment.

Fortunately for them both, the Police station was only a block away by now.

Mei and Rei entered the Police station. Then the seven grown men they had captured were dragged in, grumbling and shooting glares as they walked. Every policeman in the near vicinity had stopped to look at the odd scene. The people sitting in the lobby backed up in their chairs. The police chief on duty stared wide-eyed at the spectacle.

"Aaah, can I... help you?" he finally stammered out, doing a double-take of Rei's outfit.

"These men are criminals," Rei said succinctly. "The proof is in here," she said, handing him the laptop. He stared at it dumbly, then looked back up at the seven men. Recognition entered his eyes when he looked at their leader. "Wait! I know you!" he said, pointing. "You're that Yakuza, the one who-"

"Oh for he love of-" He ground out a few curses. "I'm not just 'some Yakuza'!" he roared. "I'd expect a _little girl_ to get it wrong, but could you at least give me the respect I deserve?"

The policemen gave him that respect. Their guns were already drawn, at this point. One of the officers leaned over to inspect the strange force binding the man's hands together.

"Hey, girl!" the man yelled out, "these things better not be permanent!"

"They're not," Rei's voice drifted back to him. She had already dragged a wide-eyed Mei back to the door so they could leave discretely. In fact, the bindings had already vanished.

"Hey, don't even think about trying anything!" the police chief said. Guns were trained on the criminals from all directions, and they were cuffed with more ordinary restraints. The chief ran to the door to see Rei floating into the air with Mei.

"Hey!" he called up. "Hey, wait!"

"I have to go," Rei answered, her voice muffled by the distance.

"Wait! Well, who are you?" the chief yelled. There was a pause, and Rei stopped ascending for a moment. She finally spoke.

"I am Peach Girl Seigyoku."


	3. Contamination

A/N: I appreciate all the interest this story had generated, interest always does make it more fun to write. This is twice now that I've looked at a review, pointed and screamed 'yes!' I'll leave it a secret which two they are ^_^ To answer the unsigned, since this one is humor, I'm using language at will. I thought Magical Shoujo sounded funnier than Magical Girl, or Mahou. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's my mistake to make, I guess :-p

* * *

Contamination

* * *

_I am no longer alone. Or rather, a part of me is no longer alone. That part now has purpose, and can freely make friends and help others. It frustrates me that I must keep it hidden, separate. The normally dull and bland classroom is now vibrant and alive, and my nerves are tingling. It's hard to focus, hard to keep myself in check. I want to look around, smile, break into laughter at how free I am._

_How free a part of me is. The sense of depression at that separation is helpful. It allows me to keep my normal facade. It allows me to focus. To my right and behind sits classmate Suzuhara. He and classmate Aida are looking at me. Startled, I realize I am staring at them, and I return my attention to the paper in front of me._

_It was a complete surprise that Suzuhara is Mei's brother. I discovered this fact after returning Mei to her home. Suzuhara had no way of recognizing me in my costume, but I still panicked and flew away without another word when he walked out onto the breezeway and demanded an explanation for what was happening._

* * *

The quiet classroom held an undercurrent of tension, evident in the hushed whispers and nervous squeaking of chairs. A momentous event was about to take place and the excitement was palpable.

The lunch bell sounded.

The room emptied faster than if there had been a fire drill.

Normally Rei would have lingered, enjoying the peace of the empty room. Quite often she would eat in the classroom, rather than venturing out into a possibly uncomfortable meeting with a random classmate.

_I should not leave the classroom to eat. Especially now._

Contrary to her thoughts, her feet were leading her to the classroom door.

_This is a bad idea._

The door slid aside at her touch and she stepped over the threshold. A dozen meters away two girls turned the corner and disappeared from view. The hallway was empty, but sounds of talking and laughter echoed in the distance.

_This is not for me. This is for the other part of me. I should go back._

Physical hunger mixed with the emotional hunger caused by her previous night's excursions pushed her towards the distant voices. Perhaps it would be okay to observe from a distance. Gain a better perspective on relationships. At the very least she could leave if things got too hectic-

"Oh! Ayanami, I'm so sorry I didn't see you there...!"

Hikari's words and the sudden collision pushed her backwards. The girl's hands were gripping her shoulders both to keep her from falling and as if she expected Rei to bolt at any moment.

"Are you okay? Were you coming out to eat? You can eat with me if you want! Hold on, I forgot my drink and came back to get it..."

Hikari's sudden departure made her skirt flutter about her knees. The sudden onslaught of questions had frozen her into immobility. Rei wanted to retreat back to the classroom and eat in peace, but Peach Girl had no such compunctions and longed to be out with other people.

"Sorry about that!" Hikari was back and subtly propelling her along with a friendly hand light on her back. "What do you have today? I didn't have much time this morning, so mine's just steamed rice and vegetables!" She smiled sheepishly.

"Deep fried rissoto," Rei answered uncertainly.

"Oh, really?" Hikari was suddenly intensely enamored. "Wow, you made it yourself? What do you put in them? I use fish a lot, but only if-"

"Cheese and zucchini," Rei answered. Peach Girl was pushing her way to the forefront, drawn by the energy of the conversation. "I dislike meat, so I have to replace it with something high in protein."

"You're a vegetarian? I didn't know that, I swear...!" Hikari looked down at herself in consternation. "Honestly though, that's a good thing. I could probably use that kind of diet myself."

The idea of the slim and athletic Class Representative needing to diet brought a spontaneous grin.

"Of all people," Rei said, her voice airy with good humor, "you're the last person who needs to diet."

Hikari looked at her in shock.

"Oh my God, you giggled!"

"I didn't," Rei said automatically.

"You did, don't try to deny it...!" Hikari laughed incredulously, her eyes wide.

"I didn't-!"

"C'mon, it's not that bad. You've got such a cute laugh!" Hikari suddenly tickled her. She shied away bringing her hands to her mouth to stop another traitorous giggle from escaping, and ran into the wall. "Haha! I didn't know you turned into such a ditz when you're tickled! I know your weakness now..."

The soft noise of someone discretely clearing their throat made both girls freeze. Rei cracked open an eye and saw Touji looking at the scene, in shock. Kensuke was equally shocked, for his camera was hanging by his side, not pointing at the action. Kensuke prodded Touji.

"Go on, ask her," he said in an undertone.

"What?" the jock hissed back. "Here?"

Peach Girl was gone now, leaving a very confused and embarrassed Rei to think furiously. Of all people, Touji could not be allowed to see her acting strangely. She turned and walked coldly back to the classroom.

"Suzuhara shame on you!" she heard Hikari yell.

"What'd I do?" the jock asked helplessly. This only brought a further tirade from the suddenly angry Hikari, and resulted in both boys' assignment to class duties at the end of the day. Rei slid the door closed, shutting the rest of the world out. She closed her eyes, searching for the elusive presence.

_You must not come out,_ she instructed. _Not during school._

No voice answered her, seen or unseen, but then that was to be expected.

_I am talking to myself, and expecting an answer. Perhaps I should visit the school psychologist._

Humor pushed at her mouth again, and she firmly pushed back.

_No. It is indeed best to think of Peach Girl as someone separate from Rei. The two cannot be intermingled, it is unsafe. I have seen the reason for that myself, just now._

She slowly pushed herself away from the door and returned to her desk to eat.

* * *

The remainder of the day passed slowly but surely. Her promise to Peach Girl kept her in check, sometimes near, just below the surface, sometimes not, but always there, simmering. From school to NERV, to where she regularly underwent mental download, she had counted each step in her mind. She had accounted for every moment of time until nightfall, and watched, impatiently, as each minute passed.

Finally her jogging steps took her towards home and freedom. Closing the door behind her, she left a trail of school garments towards the closet. Five minutes later she was heading for the door again, her steps light. She paused, blue-gloved hand on the door handle. Something felt off. She padded over to the window and looked out.

Her Section Two escort was parked closer than usual, and both men were staring intently at her apartment.

_A picture of me was undoubtedly reported to the news,_ she surmised. _They are on edge._

Had the Commander suspected Rei, she would have already been replaced, so it was not that. He had only seen Peach Girl.

_Don't worry, Rei. I'll protect you as well._

She smiled to herself.

Outside, had either of the agents been looking through binoculars, they might have noticed the wave of pink hair just above the window sill, and the slitted eyes which observed them. They were not, however, so they did not see the eyes blink once, then twice. They did notice the sudden static suddenly hissing from their car's radio.

"Huh? What the-"

The agent in the driver's seat reached over, turning the radio's nob.

"Hey," the other one said, turning to look. "Why'd you change the station?"

The instant both agents had turned away, Peach Girl was gone through the window and into the night.

* * *

The usual quiet of Central Dogma nightshift was littered by the extra warm bodies on the Command deck. Maya and Ayako were both there, sitting side by side at two of the three terminals, tapping away at their keyboards. Ritsuko was leaning over Maya's shoulder, frowning at the readouts.

"It's starting up again," she noted. On the screen, a warning symbol flashed once, twice, then disappeared.

"Senpai, I don't get it," Maya said, tapping furiously. "Nothing we do lets us get any kind of resolution on this Angel." She blanched at the screen. "If it is an Angel..."

"Its movements appear random," Ritsuko noted thoughtfully, "but there's got to be some intelligence behind it." She stood, pacing over to the railing to work off nervous energy. "The Angels' purpose is to wipe us out. We know this!"

"Well," Ayako commented sardonically, "Maybe it isn't an Angel..."

"Impossible," Ritsuko countered. "We detected a powerful AT-Field in E-Block, but when our assets arrived on-scene, they found nothing but fading traces and bullet holes." She turned on her colleagues, eyes flashing. "It doesn't make any sense! Angels have never retreated like this, before. They always attack until they are unable to do so."

The two other women continued their work, and Ritsuko turned back to face the powered-down main holograph. The giant lenses were barely visible in the gloom, but when it was necessary to activate them, they provided their own illumination.

_The only good news in all this is that the First Child seems to be progressing more rapidly than I thought she would. She should be able to undergo an Activation experiment with Unit-00 by tomorrow night, instead of the scheduled time seven days from now._

She frowned. With Angelic activity already upon them, NERV's personnel needed all the assets they could get, and if they could activate a combat Unit sooner than expected, so much the better.


End file.
